Enrollment
248
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Rocky Mount, VA
Sontag Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Sontag Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510144000644
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sontag Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Virginia schools.
- #1 of 3
- schools in Rocky Mount · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 75.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Sontag Elementary has class sizes smaller than 86% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sontag Elementary ranks #1 of 3 schools in Rocky Mount, VA.
School address
District: Franklin County Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510144000644 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
75.9%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sontag Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sontag Elementary
Sontag Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Rocky Mount, Virginia, enrolling 248 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.3:1, Sontag Elementary is leaner than roughly 86% of Virginia schools and 19% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 75.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 248 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Against 155 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #26.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 248 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Rocky Mount's public schools, it stands alongside Lee M. Waid Elementary (386 students): Sontag Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.3:1 vs 12.1:1).
Franklin County Public Schools also operates Franklin County High (1,880 students) and Benjamin Franklin Middle (1,382 students) alongside Sontag Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Sontag Elementary compares
Sontag Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.3:1 | ▼ 19% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 75.9% | ▲ 32% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 248 | top 90% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
248
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
75.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 14% in Virginia - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$13,983
per pupil, district-wide
- below Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 248 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 60.1%
Two or More 16.5%
Hispanic or Latino 13.3%
African American 9.7%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 60.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.4, Sontag Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Franklin County Public Schools, which includes Sontag Elementary.
$13,983
Per student
-5%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.5%
State 45.9%
Federal 13.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Sontag Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Benjamin Franklin Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Windy Gap Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lee M. Waid Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dudley Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sontag Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,880
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,382
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 386
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools in Rocky Mount
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~248 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sontag Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Sontag Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Franklin County Public Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Sontag Elementary
How many students attend Sontag Elementary?
Sontag Elementary has 248 students enrolled. It is a public school in Rocky Mount, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sontag Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sontag Elementary is 11.3:1, which is 19% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sontag Elementary?
75.9% of students at Sontag Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sontag Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sontag Elementary is White at 60.1% of enrollment, in Rocky Mount, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sontag Elementary?
Sontag Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sontag Elementary rank among schools in Rocky Mount?
By Resource Investment Index, Sontag Elementary ranks #1 of 3 schools in Rocky Mount, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Rocky Mount on the city page.
Is Sontag Elementary a good school?
Sontag Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Virginia schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Franklin County Public Schools?
Besides Sontag Elementary, Franklin County Public Schools also operates Franklin County High (1,880 students), Benjamin Franklin Middle (1,382 students), and Windy Gap Elementary (391 students). See the Franklin County Public Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.